LuAnn Kilday shows off the elk antlers that the animals recently shed. The antlers are part of an indoor exhibit at the park.
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Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park has suffered its share of budget cuts with the rest of the nation, but according to New Mexico State Park Division officials, things are beginning to look up.

On Friday, LuAnn Kilday began her new role as an animal keeper at Living Desert, making her position the first of four that NM State Park Division Regional Manager Alan Fiala has been working to fill.

Fiala said it's just not as easy to hire people as it used to be. Because it is a government agency, the park's hiring process is a long one. And since Ken Britt retired from his superintendent position last December, there is no doubt that the park has been a little shorthanded.

As part of her new position, LuAnn Kilday will be overseeing the hooved animals at Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. The large elk exhibit behind her is only a part of her responsibility.
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Former park superintendent Dean Ricer, who retired in 1999, said he is disappointed that the park has not yet found someone to replace Britt. His concern about the job situation at Living Desert is not only because of his former position, he said, but because the park is the only institution in the southwestern U.S. that focuses its attention on the Chihuahuan Desert.

"It's never been given its due," Ricer said. "We finally got the (Motor Vehicle Division) up to staff. We need the same action at the Living Desert."
But Fiala and NM State Park Deputy Director Jerome Madrid said they're in the process of looking for the next superintendent and people to fill the other vacancies at Living Desert. These things just take time, he said.

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"All our vacancies statewide are very important, but things are all in motion to get all those positions (at Living Desert) filled," Madrid said. "Everything right now is in process."

Madrid said there are 78 vacant positions in the NM state park system, and each one is critical. "We're doing the best we can," he said. "With state government, it's a whole long process to get a job advertised. There's a screening process that has to happen to come up with eligible people, scheduling interviews and selecting someone.

As part of her first day on the job, LuAnn Kilday had to get to know all of the animals.
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Then there's the reference check and processing the hire."

Kilday's hiring process took a long time, even though she was already a federal employee who transferred from Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park. Though she said her experience may not have been typical, she said she applied for the animal keeper position at Living Desert in July and didn't start until Feb. 8.

This is a far cry from the hiring process that most public companies go through, Madrid said. If an employee quits one day, the company is legally able to hire a replacement the very next.

Ricer also stated his concern that the Living Desert could lose its accreditation because of the multiple vacancies - especially the clerk's position, which he said has been vacant for more than two years. But Fiali assured that is not the case.

The park received its last certificate of accreditation last March and it is good for five years, Fiala said. According to Madrid, a full staff is one of the criteria that the park must meet to uphold its accreditation, but because the state park division can prove that it is actively working to fill the vacancies, Living Desert is not in immediate jeopardy of losing its credentials.

Mountie the Mountain Lion is a magnificent animal that is a favorite of park visitors. She has the exhibit all to herself since her partner Leon died a few months ago.
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These cactus plants are part of the Succulents of the World exhibit at Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park.
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